Mountain View (CA) – Three of the biggest advocates of Net Neutrality – the idea that all network traffic is given equal weight for distribution across the web – are now backing out of those positions and adopting a “pay for special services” attitude. Google is the most vocal advocate, while Microsoft and Yahoo have silently retreated by forging special alliances with phone and cable companies to give their data priority relay, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are not the only former backers of Net Neutrality to now be considering other options.